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Section 15
Applications of Motivational Interviewing with Older Adults

Question 15 | Test | Table of Contents

Most older adults with drinking problems are encountered in nonaddictions settings, seeking assistance (or referred for assistance) for something other than an alcohol-related problem. Although they may acknowledge use of alcohol, they may not see it as a problem or have any intention of making long-term drinking-related changes. Thus, they are in either the precontemplation or the contemplation stage of change. Despite neither problem awareness nor intent to change, the contact with a health care or social services professional provides a chance for an opportunistic intervention. Such contacts offer chances to educate older people about how alcohol effects change as people age. Brief, hospital-based early intervention programs have been shown to be effective in encouraging clients, many of whom are in the precontemplation stage of change, to reduce alcohol use and accept referrals for treatment (Welte, Perry, Longabaugh, & Clifford, 1998).

Given that many older adults experience alcohol-related problems, professionals must remain alert to the possibility with all clients they encounter. In addition, they should guard against misinformation and biases about alcohol abuse and aging that hamper efforts to explore the possibility of problem drinking with clients. Interviewers should routinely include questions about drinking practices and alcohol consumption in all initial screening and assessment interviews. Screening questions should be asked in private locations that ensure confidentiality and communicate respect. They should be linked to the concerns for which the client is seeking assistance. Edwards and colleagues (1997) suggested that practitioners should anticipate clients' reactions to questions about alcohol use and use "disarming" statements to normalize the focus on drinking (for example, "I always ask people about their drinking practices, because it is important to be able to talk about all aspects of one's life."). These statements can be followed by a combination of open-ended and focused questions, delivered in a respectful, nonjudgmental, concerned manner, to help the practitioner understand the client's drinking and its fit in his or her life context.

Professionals can blend questions from the CAGE screening instrument (Buchsbaum et al., 1992) into an interview unobtrusively. CAGE consists of four questions (Have you ever thought about cutting down on your drinking? Do you get annoyed when people question or express concern about your drinking? Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? Have you ever drunk first thing in the morning when you get up, to steady your nerves or to treat a hangover [eye opener]?). Answers are scored 1 for "yes" and 0 for "no." A score of two or more is presumptive of a drinking problem, but an affirmative answer to any question should trigger fuller exploration and assessment.

Several other signs should alert a practitioner to a potential alcohol-related problem and should trigger more in-depth assessment:
• consuming more than one drink per day
• regular episodes of heavy alcohol use (five or more drinks)
• symptoms of clinical depression or unexplained mood and behavioral changes
• significant others' concerns
• the presence of life transitional crises, like approaching retirement, spousal death, or separation from children and family members
• a frail condition or persistent physical complaints (Blow, 1998).

When practitioners conclude that an older adult is at-risk of developing a drinking problem or may already have a drinking problem, they must present their findings to the client. Research on the active components of brief treatment, as well as interventions that take place when a client is not actively seeking assistance, suggest some guiding principles for this exchange (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). All feedback should be personalized and offered as an opportunity for discussion. Because most people see presenting complaints as their "main problem," it is advisable to use those concerns as focal points to facilitate discussion. Findings about alcohol consumption should be shared using the client's own words when possible. They should be supported by information from other sources (for example, laboratory results) to increase their validity. They then should be linked to the client's focal concern. For example, when working with an older woman who reported drinking several glasses of wine each day and arguing with her daughter about her self-care habits, the social worker summarized their discussion, drawing attention to the total amount of alcohol consumed and physical complaints she reported to a physician. She then invited the client to comment on the drinking and the arguments, as well as the drinking and her physical complaints, asking her what connections, if any, she (the client) saw. In another instance, a social worker used a review of a client's drinking practices as an opportunity to explore and correct the client's knowledge about the consequences of drinking.

Information about drinking and its impact in a person's life paired with a recommendation to cut down can lead to reductions in alcohol consumption (Babor, 1994). However, to build motivation for sustained change, feedback must raise clients' awareness of the nature and extent of alcohol-related difficulties, affirm and validate their experiences, help them identify alternative courses of action, and give clear advice about the importance of doing something about their situations (Fleming, 2002).

Screening interviews should help clients take the "next" steps toward a fuller assessment and treatment, if indicated. Commitment to this process is strengthened by using client-centered interviewing strategies, directly addressing doubts the client might have, and actively involving the client in developing a viable action plan (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). The plan should include specification of the changes a client wants to make (for example, changes in alcohol consumption, becoming more socially active in a community center [a goal for an older adult who drinks heavily when he or she feels isolated and alone]); statements concerning the main personal reasons (motivations) for making the changes (for example, clients say they want to feel happier with their lives or they want to reconcile with their children); particular steps a client plans to take to effect change (for example, removing alcoholic beverages from his or her apartment); the names of people who can help and how they can help (for example, family members, friends, and professionals who can provide encouragement, transportation, or feedback); specification of people and situations that may interfere with change and what can be done about them (for example, staying away from friends with whom the client drinks or relatives who are overly critical of the client); and personalized criteria clients can use to judge the plan's effectiveness.

Spousal influence is an important factor in older adults' drinking (Graham & Braun, 1999). Thus, involving clients' families can increase the success of motivational counseling. Assuming a client is willing to involve a significant other, the role the other takes depends on the degree of interpersonal commitment between the client and the other, as well as the other's willingness to get involved. In cases where a client does not identify the other's role as important and the significant other has little investment in the client's sobriety, Burke and colleagues (2002) suggested that the person assume a "witness" role. That is, he or she provides information about the effects of the client's drinking, but takes no part in developing an action plan to change the behavior. In cases where there is high interpersonal commitment and interest on the other's part, he or she can become more active in promoting commitment to change and helping the client in mutually agreeable ways. Minimal or no involvement of the other should occur when there is a high level of interpersonal stress and hardship. In these latter cases, practitioners may need to help the other person disengage from the client and address his or her own concerns before trying to help the client.
- Hanson, Meredith; Gutheil, Irene A.; Motivational Strategies with Alcohol-Involved Older Adults: Implications for Social Work Practice; Social Work, Jul2004, Vol. 49 Issue 3.

Personal Reflection Exercise #8
The preceding section contained information about applications of motivational interviewing with older adults.  Write three case study examples regarding how you might use the content of this section in your practice.

Update
Effectiveness of A Brief Motivational
Intervention in the Management
of Risky Alcohol Use in Primary Care:
ALCO-AP20 study protocol

Romero-Rodríguez, E., Pérula-Jiménez, C., Fernández-López, S., Cabello-Gracia, G., Fernández-García, J. Á., Pérula-de Torres, L. Á., Roldán-Villalobos, A., Leiva-Cepas, F., Fernández-Márquez, R., Parras-Rejano, J. M., & ALCO-AP-20 Collaborative Study Group (2023). Effectiveness of a brief motivational intervention in the management of risky alcohol use in primary care: ALCO-AP20 study protocol. Frontiers in medicine, 9, 1008832. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.1008832

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article References:
Gaume, J., Magill, M., Gmel, G., & Daeppen, J.-B. (2021). Motivational interviewing technical and relational skills, change talk, and alcohol outcomes—A moderated mediation analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(8), 707–716.

Meinzer, M. C., Oddo, L. E., Vasko, J. M., Murphy, J. G., Iwamoto, D., Lejuez, C. W., & Chronis-Tuscano, A. (2021). Motivational interviewing plus behavioral activation for alcohol misuse in college students with ADHD. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 35(7), 803–816.

Muyingo, L., Smith, M. M., Sherry, S. B., McEachern, E., Leonard, K. E., & Stewart, S. H. (2020). Relationships on the rocks: A meta-analysis of romantic partner effects on alcohol use. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication.

Nixon, S. J., & Lewis, B. (2019). Cognitive training as a component of treatment of alcohol use disorder: A review. Neuropsychology, 33(6), 822–841.

Parast, L., Meredith, L. S., Stein, B. D., Shadel, W. G., & D'Amico, E. J. (2018). Identifying adolescents with alcohol use disorder: Optimal screening using the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism screening guide. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 32(5), 508–516.

QUESTION 15
According to Hanson, what are the three steps in opening a dialogue about alcohol use with an older client? To select and enter your answer go to Test.

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